Clovis schools back to normal after lockdown

Clovis schools were placed on a precautionary lockdown for about two hours Monday as police searched for a man who allegedly suggested he could take guns into a school.

No violence was reported and schools returned to normal operations after the man was taken into custody.

Tony Romero, Social Security Administration office manager, said the man was denied Social Security disability benefits and also said the man said he had post-traumatic stress disorder, which could make him capable of going into a school and shooting children.

Social Security employees called police about 11 a.m. to report the incident.

According to a Clovis Municipal Schools official, the district went into lockdown after being alerted of the incident by police.

“We had officers going to the schools to check on their welfare,” Clovis Police Capt. Patrick Whitney said.

Police located the suspect’s vehicle at the Walmart in Clovis about 1 p.m., and the man was taken into custody by New Mexico State Police to be interviewed about threats he may have made at the Social Security Office, Whitney said.

The man is under an “investigative detention,” and not under arrest, so his name cannot be released, Whitney said.